In-between the pannels
by Supersilver46
Summary: Hunter x Hunter's world seems so beautiful, that it can practically pull you in at times. In fact, that's what literally happened to Harry. Now that he's found herself trapped in the once fictional world of Hunter x Hunter; Harry will have to do everything he can to find a way to return to the real world. The question is; will he survive long enough to escape?
1. Chapter 1

"Where did he go!?"

"I don't see him anywhere!"

"Did he disappear?"

Dudley Dursley growled as his friends searched the whole playground for any sign of Harry. As soon as school had let out he had wanted to start his Harry Hunt before the two of them started their summer break. Unfortunately, he'd gotten held up by his teacher once class had ended because she wanted to talk to him about his grades. Dudley had sent his friends out to chase Harry while he stayed behind. When Dudley was finally allowed to leave the classroom, he found out that his friends had lost sight of Harry.

"Spread out and find him!" Dudley shouted. "He couldn't have gone far!"

"Maybe he's hiding in the Gym?" Piers asked. "That's where we found him last time."

Dudley smirked. "Now I know why I made you my right-hand man Piers."

"Okay, let's look in the gym," Dudley said, "He's probably in there somewhere!"

Dudley and his friends rushed to the gym, which was close to the library. If any of them had been paying attention, they would have noticed Harry ducking out of sight...

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Harry ducked under the window as Dudley and his goons raced past the library. He let out a relived sigh as he watched them get further and further away. The last place Dudley would think to look for him was the library, Dudley and his friends always seemed to be in pain whenever they had to come here to read for a book report.

"Well it looks like I'm going to be stuck here for a while..." Harry said to himself, "I might as well read something while I'm here."

Harry searched through each of the bookshelves for something to read, but most of the books seemed to be too boring. There was one book that caught his attention, the title on the spine was _Hunter x Hunter_. Harry pulled the book out from the shelf and looked at the cover. The cover depicted a young boy sitting on top of a large toad. Harry flipped the book over to read the summary on the back which read; _Gon might be a country boy, but he has high aspirations. Despite his Aunt Mito's protests, Gon decides to follow in his father's footsteps and become a legendary Hunter. The Hunter hopefuls begin their journey by storm-tossed ship, where Gon meets Leorio and Kurapika, the only other applicants who aren't devastated by bouts of seasickness. Having survived the terrors of the high seas, Gon and his companions now have to prove their worth in a variety of tests in order to find the elusive Exam Hall. And once they get there, will they ever leave alive...?_

The summary had piqued Harry's interest in the book, and so Harry sat at one of the tables in the library and began to read. Within an hour Harry had finished the first volume and he found himself searching for more volumes. The adventures that Gon and his friends went on completely hooked Harry, and before he knew it, he had read the second and third volumes in a blink of an eye. He really liked the relationship the main characters had with each other, the way they would willingly put themselves in danger in order to protect the people resonated with Harry. The main characters were like a tightly knit family. The same thing couldn't be said about Harry and his other relatives.

Harry sighed and closed the third volume of the manga. "I wish I could just get away from the Dursley's...even for a little while."

Harry stacked the three volumes in his hands and was about to put the books back on the shelf when he noticed that the books were beginning to glow.

"What the-"

Harry dropped the books as the glow grew brighter and brighter, almost blinding him. Harry felt a strong wind began to whip through the library, knocking books to the ground. The wind knocked Harry off his feet, causing him to crash onto the ground. Before Harry knew it, a strong suctioning force began to tug on his legs. Harry tried to grab the bookshelf in order to avoid getting sucked into the wind. Eventually his grip failed him, and Harry was sharply tugged into the book.

And then he was falling... falling...falling...

His fall was broken when he slammed his head against a hard, wooden floor.

"Ow!" Harry shouted as the sharp pain of hitting his head caused him to see stars. Harry tried get up, but the floor seemed to be moving, which resulted in him falling to the ground once again.

'_...Wait, moving?' _Harry thought to himself. Harry noticed that he wasn't in the library any more, in fact it seemed like he was on a ship that was filled with people who were either unconscious on the ground or sick. Harry couldn't help but feel that he'd seen this ship before, but he couldn't figure out why.

"Are you okay?" Harry heard someone ask. "Do you need help?"

"I'm okay, I'm a bit unsteady." Harry said. "Could you give me a hand?"

"Sure!" the person said. They grabbed Harry's arm and yanked him up to his feet.

"Thank-" Harry's eyes widened as the person who helped him up was wearing a green jacket, green shorts, and green boots. Their hair was a spiky mess that somewhat reminded Harry of a porcupine.

"Hm?" The person tilted their head when they noticed the way Harry was staring at them. "Are you sure you're fine, your face is kind of pale."

"N-no I'm fine, it's just that I'm a bit dizzy." Harry lied.

"Oh, well then you should sit down for a while." the person pointed to a hammock that was close to Harry. "It'll help you feel better."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Harry said. The person helped Harry to the hammock, and once Harry had sat down they continued to talk.

"I didn't expect that there would be more than two kids on this boat," the person said. "Are you taking the Hunter Exam too?"

Harry didn't trust himself to speak, so he simply nodded his head.

"That's awesome!" The person eyes glimmered. "It's so nice to talk people who are my age. By the way, what's your name?"

"Harry, Harry Potter." Harry introduced himself. "What's yours?"

"My name is Gon, Gon Freeccss." Gon held his hand out towards Harry. "It's nice to meet you Harry!"

'_Well that confirms my suspicions...' _Harry thought to himself. _'I've been sucked into the book!'_


	2. Chapter 2

It took Harry a bit of time for him to accept that he was now inside the book he'd been reading. At first, he thought he was simply dreaming so he tried to pinch his arm as hard as he could. After a while Harry realized that pinching his arm had no effect, so he gave up on that plan. Harry looked around the ship and spotted Kurapika reading a book and he saw that Leorio was lying on the hammock eating a sour apple.

'_Those two being here makes sense, but something feels a bit off.'_ Harry thought to himself. _'In the book, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio were the only applicants that managed to endure the trip, but now that I'm here does that mean that I-'_

"You five!" Harry was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard someone yell. He looked up to see that an old man wearing a captain's hat had entered the cabin. The old man had a bright red nose, a thick beard, and he was smoking a pipe The captain stared at each of them in an appraising manner before he gestured for Harry and the others to follow him. "Come with me."

'_Wait, five?'_ Harry frowned as he got up from the hammock. Counting himself, the captain should have shouted for him, Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika. But the captain shouted for five people to come with him instead of four. _'Who else is here?'_

"Why are you just standing there!?" The captain shouted, shaking Harry out of his thoughts, "I thought I told you to follow me!?"

"S-sorry!" Harry shouted as he followed the captain out of the cabin...

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"Right then..." The captain said once Harry and the others had gathered in his quarters, "Go down the line and tell me all your names."

Gon's hand shot straight up in the air. "I'm Gon."

Harry was next. "I'm Harry, Harry Potter."

For some reason this caused Leorio to snicker, which confused Harry. What was so funny about his name?

Kurapika introduced himself soon after Harry. "I'm Kurapika."

"The name is Leorio." Leorio said, the annoyance he felt was quite evident in his tone.

And the last member of their group introduced herself as, "Hermione Granger."

Harry found himself staring at Hermione for the first time, he wondered why he hadn't noticed her before. She had long brown hair that seemed to need a bit of combing, and her front two teeth were a bit prominent. She was wearing a British school uniform Harry would sometimes see kids from other neighborhoods wearing from time to time. She seemed to be around Harry and Gon's age, though Harry wasn't sure if that was the case.

Leorio snickered once he heard Hermione say her name, which again confused Harry.

'_Seriously, what's so funny about our names?' _Harry thought to himself. _'It looks like Leorio's about to break out into full-blown laughter.'_

The captain nodded once he had gotten everyone's names. "Good, good. Now why do you all want to become Hunters?"

"Whoa!" Leorio grit his teeth and glared at the captain. "You're not an examiner, so what's with the third degree?"

"Just answer the question." The captain said.

Gon looked at Leorio before turning back to the captain, "That's easy, it's because my dad is a Hunter!"

"Hm?" A faint smile appeared on the captain's lips as Gon continued to explain why he wanted to become a hunter.

"Being a hunter was the most important thing in the world to my dad," Gon said. "And I want to know why, that's I left Whale Island."

Harry had wanted to know why Gon's father had left as well. If Harry had gotten the chance to read more of the manga, he might have figured out the reason. Now that he'd gotten sucked into Hunter x Hunter's world, he probably wouldn't get an answer to that question.

"I want to become a Hunter so I can find a certain ruin." Hermione said, which snapped Harry out his thoughts. "Without a Hunter license I won't be able to get there, so that's why I'm taking the exam."

"Interesting." The captain said. He then turned to look at Harry, "So why do you want to be a Hunter?"

"Me?" Harry asked, "Well..."

'_I didn't think too far ahead; I wasn't even planning on becoming a Hunter!' _Harry thought to himself, _'What do I say? I can't just tell them that I decided to be a Hunter just because I felt like it!' _

"My goal is to become a Black List Hunter," Harry said. "My dad used to be a Black List Hunter before he passed away, so I'm following in his footsteps."

"Really?" The captain asked, "What was your father's name?"

"It was James." Harry said. For some reason it had been the first name to pop up in his mind, and Harry had decided to settle on it being his Father's name.

"Hmm..." The captain stared at Harry for a few seconds, his piercing gaze made Harry fidget on the spot. Thankfully the tension thanks to Leorio.

"Hey why are you kids talking to him!? You don't have to tell that old man nothin'!" Leorio shouted.

Gon blinked in confusion. "But he asked why we're here. It's not a secret."

Leorio sighed. "Look it's us versus him and I'm not telling him why I'm here!"

"I'm afraid I agree with Leorio." Kurapika said.

"That's Mr. Leorio to you, you brat!" Leorio shouted. "Show respect to your elders!"

"But why not dodge the question by simply offering the man a plausible lie?" Kurapika asked as he completely ignored Leorio's comments, causing the older teen to get angry.

"Are you even listening to me!?" Leorio shouted.

"However, it is quite shameful to rely upon deceit." Kurapika continued, "That said if I were to tell you the truth, I would be revealing my deepest secrets. That is why I will not answer your question."

"So, both of you flat out refuse to answer my question." the captain said. The captain turned to look at a ship crew member who was wearing a blue bandana, tan pants, and an orange shirt. "Katzo, call the Exam Committee and let them know we have two more dropouts."

Leorio and Kurapika were both shocked by the captain's word. Harry, Hermione, and Gon were the only ones who weren't fazed by it.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Leorio asked.

"You still haven't figured it out?" The captain asked. "You see the Hunter Exam has already started."

""It has?"" Leorio and Kurapika said at the same time.

"There are as many Hunter wannabes as there are stars in the sky." The captain said. "The examiners don't have the time or the resources to go review them all, so they hire people like us to trim down the fat."

Basically, it was a quicker and easier way to get rid of the applicants who were too weak to even think about taking the exam. Harry had to admit that the strategy was clever of the Hunter Association.

"I've already notified the board that everyone else on this ship had to withdraw." The captain continued. "They couldn't even handle a little storm, there's no possible way that they would survive to make it to the later stages of the exam."

The captain puffed on his pipe before he took it out of his mouth. "In other words, the only way you five are moving on to the next portion of the exam is if I give the go ahead."

"I'll ask you again, so think carefully before you answer." the captain said.

The group fell silent for a moment before Kurapika stepped forward. "I am the last survivor of the Kurta Clan."

This caught the attention of everyone in the room. Harry already knew a bit about Kurapika's backstory, but he couldn't help but listen to what he had to say.

"Four years ago, my clan was annihilated by a band of criminals." Kurapika continued. "That is why I want to become a Hunter; I want to capture the Phantom Troupe."

"It sounds like you Potter have something in common," The captain said. "You both want to become Black List Hunters."

'_Well that isn't entirely true...'_ Harry thought to himself.

"The Phantom Troupe are Class A bounties, not even the most seasoned Hunters can touch them." the captain said. "You know it's a suicide mission, right?"

"Death is not among my fears." Kurapika said, "But there is one thing I do fear, and one thing alone."

Kurapika's eyes flashed scarlet as he stared directly into the captain's eyes. "That time will quiet the rage in my heart."

"So in other words you're out for revenge." Leorio said. "You don't really need to become a Hunter just because you need to settle an old score, right?"

"That is the stupidest question I've ever heard, Leorio." Kurapika said, causing Leorio's temper to flare up.

"That's Mr. Leorio!" Leorio shouted.

Kurapika sighed. "There are places that only Hunters can go, intel only they can only access, and actions only they can take."

With each word that came out of Kurapika's mouth the angrier Leorio became as he was condescended by the other teen.

"There are more reasons, but those are the only three that you have a chance at comprehending." Kurapika said.

"W-what did you say!?" Leorio shouted as he stomped towards Kurapika, "I-"

"Hey!" Gon shouted as he jumped in front of Leorio, "Why do you want to become a Hunter Mr. Leorio?"

"it's pretty simple, really." Leorio said, "For the money."

Gon blinked in surprise. "Huh?"

"Money can buy you everything you've ever wanted!" Leorio shouted. "A big mansion, a cool car, and all the booze you can drink!"

"Really?" Harry heard Hermione mutter under her breath, "Money can't buy you everything..."

"If only you could buy class as well, Leorio." Kurapika said.

Leorio's face reddened. "That was strike three."

Leorio shoved his hands into his pockets and walked towards the door.

"Step outside." Leorio said. "Time to finish off the filthy Kurta Bloodline once and for all."

"Take that back, Leorio!" Kurapika shouted as Leorio opened the door.

Leorio paused and turned back to look at Kurapika.

"I said take it back!" Kurapika growled.

Leorio frowned. "That's Mr. Leorio to you."

Leorio exited the room and Kurapika chased after him.

"Hey where do you boys think you're going!?" the captain yelled, "I'm not finished with you yet!"

"Let them go." Gon said, surprising Katzo and the captain. "It's like what my Aunt Mito told me once, you can never truly understand a person unless you understand what makes them angry."

"It's up to them now, there's nothing we can do but stay out of the way." Gon said.

"Captain!" one of the crewmates shouted before pointing over the horizon. A waterspout was forming in front of them, the storm started to pick up as the boat rocked on the choppy waves.

Katzo's eyes widened. "If we get caught up by that waterspout, the ship will sink for sure!"

The captain rushed towards the crewmate that was at the helm. "Lower the sails, I'll take the hem!"

"Aye!" the crewmate shouted as they rushed out of the room.

"Is there anything we can do?" Gon asked Katzo as he raced past the three of them.

"Yeah, you three can come with me up on the deck!" Katzo shouted. The four of them rushed up to the deck as the storm worsened...


	3. Chapter 3

The rain pelted Harry in the face as soon as he Hermione, Gon, and Katzuo made their way up to the deck. The deck was slick with rain, and Harry could see the ship's crew members run to and fro as they tried to stop the ship from sinking. The waterspout was closer to them than it had been before, which caused large waves to crash into the sides of the ship. Some of the crew were struggling to pull the sail down by using rope. As the four of them rush to help the crew, Harry spotted Leorio and Kurapika out of the corner of his eye. The wind made it hard to make out what they were saying, but judging by the stormy looks on their faces, it didn't seem like they were having a pleasant conversation.

"Hey Harry, stop staring into space and help us!" Hermione shouted.

Harry shook his head and rushed over to help pull the sail down. He grunted as he tugged on the rope, struggling to find a good purchase. Suddenly, a wave slammed into the side of the boat, causing Harry and most of the crew to lose their grip on the rope. Katzuo let out a loud scream as he was dragged up into the air by the rope, and before Harry knew what he was doing he grabbed onto Katzuo's leg with one hand and tightly held onto the mast of the ship with his other hand.

"I've got you!" Harry shouted. Harry tried to keep his grip on the boat's mast, but the rain was making the wood too slick for him too hold, and the wind was making it a struggle for him to stay standing. A large wave slammed into the side of the boat, and Harry lost his grip on the mast as both he and Katzuo were sent flying overboard. Harry's eyes widened as he plunged towards the icy water, his scream died in the back of his throat when he felt someone tightly grab onto his leg.

"Don't worry Harry, I've got you!" Harry heard someone shout. Harry turned his head to see that Gon had grabbed onto his legs, while Kurapika, Hermione, and Leorio had grabbed onto Gon. Gon grinned at Harry as the three of them were pulled back up onto the boat...

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"I can't believe you two!" Leorio shouted.

The waterspout had died out, and the waves were calm once more. The crew, exhausted due their efforts to stop the ship from sinking, had gone back to their quarters for a well-earned rest. Gon and Harry found themselves sitting under the glares that came from Leorio, Kurapika, and Hermione.

"If it hadn't been for us, you two would've been shark bait!" Leorio continued. "You two owe me big time, and don't you forget it."

Kurapika sighed. "Honestly, how reckless can you be?"

"You should think before you act." Hermione said. "Jumping headfirst into danger like that...you could've gotten hurt or worse!"

"But it's fine." Gon said.

Leorio, Kurapika, and Hermione stared at Gon, their confusion was etched across their faces.

"You three caught us." Harry said. "So it isn't like we have to worry about the 'what-ifs' right?"

"...I guess you have a point." Leorio said.

"Gon! Harry!" someone shouted.

Harry turned to see Katzuo rushing over to them. The crew member panted once he'd reached their little group.

"I wanted to thank you two." Katzuo said. "You guys saved my life, thank you for that."

"Yeah, well we weren't the only ones who rescued you." Gon said. He then pointed to Leorio, Kurapika, and Hermione. "Those three helped too."

Katzuo faced them and bowed. "He's right. Thank you for your help."

Kurapika closed his eyes and softly smiled. "You don't need to thank me."

Hermione slightly blushed due to the praise she got from the crew member. "I just did what anyone else would in that situation, you don't need to thank me."

Leorio rubbed the back of his head and smiled. "Yeah, no prob. We're just glad to see that you made it out okay."

"Me too." Katzo said. "In fact, I ought to get back to my post right away."

Katzo bowed once more before he rushed back down to the ship's lower decks. Leorio chuckled as he watched the crew member go, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Kurapika smiling up at him.

"What?" Leorio asked.

"I'm embarrassed by my behavior." Kurapika said. "Pardon my rudeness, Mr. Leorio."

"I wasn't expecting that." Leorio said. "You can forget it. Oh, and you can drop the 'Mr. Leorio' Leorio is fine."

"I'm sorry too." Leorio continued. "And I take back everything I said to you before. That was wrong of me."

"No, it's fine." Kurapika said.

Kurapika smiled at the older teen, who smiled right back at him. There was a drastic change in their dynamic that Harry quickly picked up on.

'_It's one thing to see a scene in a manga.'_ Harry thought. _'It's entirely different to see it played out in front of your eyes.'_

Harry's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the loud, boisterous laughter of the Captain. The captain was leaning against the side of the doorway to his cabin, he'd been watching the whole thing play out.

"You five are growing on me." the Captain said. "So... I'll make sure you five are dropped off at the port closest to the exam site."

Gon blinked in surprise. "But...what about your test?"

"Like I said, I decide who goes on to take the Exam." The captain said. "Congratulations! You're all moving on!"

Hermione sighed in relief as the others cheered. Harry couldn't stop the huge smile that stretched across his face.

'_We're one step closer to becoming Hunters.'_ Harry thought to himself. _'I've got to admit, I'm pretty excited!'_

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'_James Potter...now that's a name I haven't heard in years.'_ the captain thought to himself as he entered his cabin. It would take them about another hour until they reached Doelle Harbor, from there he planned to give the group a hint of where they should go next and then he and his crew would set off for their next destination. He picked up a photo that had fallen to the floor during the chaos that had been brought on by the waterspout. The photo had been taken a few decades ago, his younger self was standing next to his old crew members. There was one crew member that caught his eye. The crew member had thick, round, wire framed glasses, dark hair, and a large grin. He was practically the spitting image of Harry; the only difference was their eye color.

'_I wonder...is it fate that brought your son here James?' _


End file.
